Venetian blind for palladian-style window

ABSTRACT

Base rail (12) and arch rail (13) frame holds horizontal slats (14). The frame (12, 13) is removable from a window opening for service. The slats (14) are mounted on ladders (17) with notches (31, 32) in the slats for removal individually. The base rail (12) opens down and receives a closure piece removable for access to the mechanism. Guide plates (21) on the arch rail (13) facilitate sliding the ladder cords (18, 19) forward and rearward for tilting the slats (14) without mechanism external to the base rail (12) or arch rail (13), other than the ladder cords (18, 19) themselves. The arch rail (13) inside face is channeled to receive slat ends to obscure direct line of sight through the assembly when the slats (14) are closed. Slat ends are chamfered for tilting the slats (14) without interference with the inner surface of the arch rail (13) when the slats (14) are closed.

Claims provisional application Ser. No. 60/014,357 filed on Mar. 28,1996.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to window coverings and moreparticularly to a venetian blind for palladian-style windows.

For window coverings, some kinds of venetian blinds have been proposedfor windows that do not have a straight horizontal header. Also, thereare wood shutter assemblies for palladian-style windows. Some decoratorsand owners prefer venetian blinds for aesthetic compatability with othervenetian blinds, and/or for light control different from what shuttersprovide. It is desirable to provide a venetian blind assembly that isdurable, can be closed or opened with either a forward or backward tiltof the slats, and is comparatively easy to clean or service. The presentinvention is directed to achieving one or more of these features.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Described briefly, according to a typical embodiment of the presentinvention, a frame including a base rail and arch rail is provided witha set of horizontal slats which, when closed, obscure direct line ofsight through the assembly and minimize light transmission through it.This assembly can be inserted in a window opening, but removabletherefrom for service. It includes a set of horizontal slats mounted onladder assemblies with notches in the slats to facilitate removalthereof for cleaning, but without disassembly of the entire blindassembly. The bottom rail is open at the bottom to accommodate a closurepiece, but enable removal thereof to gain access to the mechanism, ifneeded for service. Guide plates are provided on the inner surface ofthe arch rail to accommodate sliding of the ladder cords forward andrearward to enable tilting the slats without mechanism external to thebase rail or arch rail, other than the ladder cords themselves. Theinside face of the arch rail is channeled to accommodate slat ends toobscure direct line of sight through the assembly when the slats areclosed. Ends of slats are chamfered to facilitate tilting of the slatswithout interference with the inner surface of the arch rail when theslats are closed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a venetian blind assembly for apalladian-style window with portions broken out to show some interiordetails.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of theinvention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated inthe drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. Itwill nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of theinvention is thereby intended, such alterations and furthermodifications in the illustrated device, and such further applicationsof the principles of the invention as illustrated therein beingcontemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to whichthe invention relates.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, the assembly is made primarilyof wood and includes a base rail 12 of downwardly-opening channel-shapedcross section. An arch rail 13 is secured to the ends of the base rail.There is a plurality of wood slats 14 supported on ladder rung strands16 on each of the ladder assemblies 17. The ladder rung strands 16 arewoven into the ladder cords at the front (room side) 18 and rear (windowside) 19 of the assembly. The ladder cord is guided at the top of eachladder assembly by a guide plate 21 having a groove 22 between the plateand the underside of the arch rail 13 so the ladder cord can slideforward and rearward in the groove to permit tilting of the slatsforward or rearward.

A control knob 24 is provided at the front of the base rail 12 andoperates through a right-angle drive box 26 to operate the rocker shaft27 which extends to the right from the drive box 26. Ladder operatingdrums 28 are non-rotatably mounted at spaced points along the length ofthe rocker shaft 27. The lower ends of the ladder cords are fastened tothese drums so that, upon turning the knob 24, the slats can be openedor closed in either the forward or rearward direction.

Each of the slats has notches such as 31 at the front edge and 32 at therear edge which receive the ladder cords 18 and 19, respectively. Thesenotches are sufficiently shallow (from the front edge toward the rearedge, and vice versa, of the slat) so that, even though the ladder cordsare fully received in them, the slats adjacent to each other overlap toblock light from passing through from the front to the rear at thesenotches when the slats are closed. Extra deep notches 33 and 34 can beprovided in the lower slat 14B to enable that slat to slide down on thesupport strands such as 16 for that slat when the blind is closed,sliding sufficiently down to enable the down edge of the slat to rest onthe top surface 12T of the bottom rail, thus blocking any lighttransmission under that slat. The slats can be removed independentlyfrom each other to clean them, without disassembly of the blind.

The inside face of the arch rail 13 is recessed as shown at 36 betweenfront and rear flanges 13F and 13R at the front and rear, respectively,of the arch rail, so the inside face of it is a shallow channel. Theends 14E of the slats are received in the recess so that, when the blindis closed, there is no direct line of sight through the closed blindfrom one face to the other. The edges 14F and 14R at the front and rearof the slats are chamfered at both of the ends of the slats as shown soas to avoid interference with the inside face 36 of the arch railchannel as the blind is closed either forward or rearward.

Conventional materials can be used in the construction of the blind. Anadditional slat such as 14, with the same shallow depth of notches asthe slats above it, can be placed on top of slat 14B if additional lightsealing is needed upon closure of the blind. Instead of the knob 24, atilt control cord or cords can be used for tilting the slats. Also, atilt control wand could be used.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in thedrawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered asillustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood thatonly the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that allchanges and modifications that come within the spirit of the inventionare desired to be protected.

What is claimed is:
 1. A venetian blind for palladian-style windowcomprising:a base rail; an arch rail having ends securely mounted to thebase rail to provide a unitary window frame; a plurality of parallelslats in a space between the arch rail and the base rail; a ladderreceiving the slats therethrough, the ladder including an operating cordhaving a lower end; a cord puller mounted to the base rail and receivingthe lower end of the cord; and a controller coupled to the cord pullerand operable to selectively pull on the cord, operating the ladder totilt the slats.
 2. The blind of claim 1 and wherein:the arch rail has aninner surface toward the center of the arch rail, and a channel on theinner surface.
 3. The blind of claim 2 and wherein:the slats have endschamfered and fittingly received in the channel.
 4. The blind of claim 2and wherein:the slats are of a uniform width throughout most of theirlength, and the width of the slats is reduced at their ends to fit intothe arch rail channel.
 5. The blind of claim 2 and wherein:the slatshave a uniform width throughout most of their length and are spacedapart a distance which is smaller than the width of the slats andclosely enough to overlap when closed.
 6. The blind of claim 1 andwherein:the slats have front and rear edges with notches in the edgesslidably receiving the operating cord in the notches.
 7. The blind ofclaim 6 and wherein:the notches are sized to fittingly receive theladder cord and permit the slats adjacent to each other to overlap whenthe slats are closed to inhibit light passage through the notches whenthe slats are closed.
 8. The blind of claim 7 and wherein:the slatsinclude a lowest slat having notches deeper than those in the rest ofthe slats to enable downward slippage onto the base rail to block lighttransmission between the base rail and the lowest slat when the slatsare closed.
 9. The blind of claim 1 and wherein:the cord puller is adrum with the operating cord wrapped on the drum in one direction totilt the slats closed in one direction, and wrapped on the drum in anopposite direction to tilt the slats closed in the opposite direction.10. The blind of claim 1 and wherein:the base rail, the arch rail andthe slats are made of wood.
 11. A venetian blind for a palladian-stylewindow, comprising:a base rail; an arch rail having ends mounted to thebase rail; a plurality of parallel slats in a space between the archrail and the base rail; a ladder receiving the slats therethrough, theladder including an operating cord having a lower end; a cord pullermounted to the rail and receiving the lower end of the cord; acontroller coupled to the cord puller and operable to selectively pullon the cord, operating the ladder to tilt the slats; and a guide platefastened to an inner surface of the arch rail, the guide platecooperating with the arch rail surface to slidably receive the operatingcord therethrough, the guide plate supporting the upper end of theladder and permitting the operating cord to slide therethrough as theladder is operated to tilt the slats.
 12. The blind of claim 11 andwherein:the plate has a groove slidably receiving the operating cord.13. A venetian blind for a palladian-style window, comprising:a baserail; an arch rail having ends mounted to the base rail; a plurality ofparallel slats in a space between the arch rail and the base rail; aladder receiving the slats therethrough, the ladder including anoperating cord having a lower end; a cord puller mounted to the rail andreceiving the lower end of the cord; a controller coupled to the cordpuller and operable to selectively pull on the cord, operating theladder to tilt the slats; wherein the cord puller is a drum with theoperating cord wrapped on the drum in one direction to tilt the slatsclosed in one direction, and wrapped on the drum in an oppositedirection to tilt the slats closed in the opposite direction, andwherein the base rail has a downwardly-opening cavity therein receivingthe drum.
 14. The blind of claim 13 and further comprising:a rockershaft mounting the drum; a right-angle drive device connected to thecontroller and to the rocker shaft.
 15. The blind of claim 14 andwherein:the controller is a control knob at the front of the base rail.